18 bodies recovered from Mali hotel siege: Foreign security source

Malian security forces evacuate hostages freed from the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako. (AFP PHOTO / HABIBOU KOUYATE)

BAMAKO, Mali, Africa: Eighteen bodies have been recovered from a shooting rampage at the luxury Radisson Blu hotel in Mali's capital Bamako on Friday (Nov 20), which saw gunman seize 170 guests and staff, the hotel chain said.

All remaining hostages at the Malian siege where at least three people died are now safe and out of the hotel, ministerial adviser Amadou Sangho told French television station BFMTV.

"These people have been taken under the wing of the civil authorities," he said.

At least three people were said to be killed, including a Belgian local government official. Geoffrey Dieudonne, an official with the parliament of Belgium's French-speaking community, had been in Mali for a convention, a parliament spokesman told Belga news agency.

The gunmen are said to be holding "no more hostages", after a rescue operation by special forces, the government said. "They currently have no more hostages in their hands and forces are in the process of tracking them down," security minister Salif Traore told a news conference.

Automatic weapons fire could be heard from outside the 190-room hotel in the city-centre, where security forces have set up a security cordon, an AFP journalist said.

Two gunmen are said to have been killed, according to a Malian military source. An African militant group affliated with al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Al-Mourabitoun, a group based in northern Mali made up of mostly Tuaregs and Arabs had posted a message on Twitter saying it was behind the attack on the hotel. However, the claim could not be immediately verified.

The gunmen had arrived at about 7am local time, and forced through the security barrier outside the hotel, reported Reuters. Malian soldiers, police and special forces were on the scene as a security perimeter was set up, along with members of the UN's MINUSMA peacekeeping force in Mali and the French troops fighting militants in west Africa under Operation Barkhane.

Special forces are moving floor by floor to clear the building, said Mali's state broadcaster. About 80 people have escaped the building so far.

The Rezidor Hotel Group, the US-based parent company of Radisson Blu, said two people were holding 170 people hostage. The company said it was "aware of the hostage-taking that is ongoing at the property today, 20th November 2015. As per our information two persons have locked in 140 guests and 30 employees".

It added in a statement: "Our safety and security teams and our corporate team are in constant contact with the local authorities in order offer any support possible to reinstate safety and security at the hotel."

At least seven Chinese nationals were among the 170 hostages trapped in the building, reported Xinhua. Separately, Turkey also said that six Turkish Airlines staff were among those in the hotel. In addition, a French presidential source reported that French nationals were among those involved in the hostage situation.

In an update, 12 Air France crew members staying at the hotel are reported to be safe, said the airline. Air France said it has cancelled flights to and from Bamako for Friday as a precaution.

ATTACKS DESPITE PEACE DEAL

The shooting at the Radisson follows a nearly 24-hour siege and hostage-taking at another hotel in August in the central Malian town of Sevare in which five UN workers were killed, along with four soldiers and four attackers.

Five people, including a French citizen and a Belgian, were also killed in an attack at a restaurant in Bamako in March in the first such incident in the capital.

Islamist groups have continued to wage attacks in Mali despite a June peace deal between former Tuareg rebels in the north of the country and rival pro-government armed groups.

Northern Mali fell in March-April 2012 to Al-Qaeda-linked militant groups long concentrated in the area before being ousted by an ongoing French-led military operation launched in January 2013. Despite the peace deal, large swathes of Mali remain beyond the control of government and foreign forces.

The website of the Radisson Blu in Bamako says it offers "upscale lodging close to many government offices and business sites", serving as "one of the city's most popular conference venues" with "a stunning 508-square-metre ballroom and meeting rooms".

Radisson Blu, an upscale brand of the Radisson hotel chain, has more than 230 luxury hotels and resorts worldwide.